The film tells the story of Max Renn, the president of a cheap cable TV
station in Toronto called Channel 83, who chances upon a sleazy, violent
broadcast called 'Videodrome'. As he watches, the broadcasts begin to affect
his mind and he finds himself unable to distinguish between his increasingly
gruesome hallucinations and reality.

Videodrome is an ideal case study for many of the themes at which
we look in this module. In terms of the vehicle strand, the film has an
unusual narrative structure, is hard to classify,
raises difficult questions concerning representation,
and explicitly addresses the relationship between audience
and text. Additionally, considering the environment strand of the module,
Cronenberg is familiar with the work of his fellow Canadian Marshall
McLuhan and deliberately engages with several of the communication theorist's
ideas, including media as extensions and environments,
as hot or cool, and the notion of discarnate
man and virtual identities. One of the film's characters - Brian O'Blivion
- is even based on McLuhan. The film as a whole can be read as a disturbing,
self-reflective meditation on the power of television, as well as a visceral,
thought-provoking satire on attempts at media censorship.

Bibliography

Frazer, B. (no date). Videodrome. Deep Focus. Retrieved on 12th
March 2005 from: http://www.deep-focus.com/flicker/videodro.html.
A short, thoughtful review of Cronenberg's film, focusing on his camera
work, cutting, dark humour, and the themes of the media, sex, violence
and transgression that the director addresses.

Hotchkiss, L. M. (2003). 'Still in the Game': Cybertransformations
of the 'New Flesh' in David Cronenberg's eXistenZ. The Velvet
Light Trap, 52 (Fall), pp. 15-32. A comparison of Videodrome
and Cronenberg's later film eXistenZ,
which includes discussion of the nature of the 'new flesh', cyberpunk,
The Thirteenth
Floor, The Matrix, Plato's Allegory
of the Cave, and much more.

Lucas, T. (no date). Medium Cruel: Reflections
on Videodrome. Criterion Collection website. Retrieved on 30th
December 2007 from: http://www.criterion.com/asp/release.asp?id=248&eid=380&section=essay.
A fascinating insight into the making of Videodrome by Tim Lucas,
the only journalist allowed onto the set. Concentrates principally on
earlier drafts of the script and how certain special effects were achieved.

Martin, J. (1983). Videodrome. London: New English Library.
The novelization of the film by 'Jack Martin' (pen-name of Dennis Etchison),
based on Cronenberg's scripts.

Rickey, C. (2004). Make Mine Cronenberg.
Village Voice, January 1983; revised May 2004. Retrieved on 30th
December 2007 from: http://www.criterion.com/asp/release.asp?id=248&eid=371&section=essay.
A brief overview of Cronenberg's films up to 1983, with observations on
the director's preoccupation with sex, repression, technology and the
body, as well as his peculiarly cerebral approach to horror.

Unseen Videodrome (no date). Cronendrome. Retrieved on 12th March
2005 from: http://www.blue-bottle.co.uk/unseen.htm. [No longer online.]
This short piece recounts some of the deleted scenes from Videodrome with
accompanying images taken from publicity stills and the American cable
television cut of the film.